(Cosmic safety disclaimer: everything in this chapter is a reasonable fictional scenario developed to suit the plot within an imaginary setting. It is not intended to spread any harmful ideas. All language and events serve only to advance the story and have no connection to reality. Dear reviewers, please go easy on this chapter.)
Xi Yan slammed the table. "Now, back to the matter of public ownership!"
A matter for discussion... The young officials stared at him, struggling to keep straight faces.
What discussion? This was clearly the Marshal's one-man show!
That was just how the Marshal was. We officials of the Empire only had to follow orders, while the Marshal had far more to consider.
Xi Yan spoke confidently from the podium. "Once we finish building the statistical data center and establish a clear picture of the Empire's various figures, we can begin implementing public ownership."
"My plan is to abolish the existing monetary system! Everyone in our Empire will receive enough food, consumer goods, housing, and jobs, all allocated free of charge!"
What?
Everyone's eyes widened as they stared in disbelief at the exuberant Xi Yan.
What had they just heard?
"Food, housing, consumer goods, even jobs-all allocated?"
Some of the young officials muttered to themselves.
How could this bastard say something so compassionate?
Had we really misjudged Xi Yan? Was he actually a philanthropist without equal in the Sea of Stars?
"That's right! Everything will be allocated centrally by the Empire!"
Xi Yan roared.
"From now on, our Empire will have no more gap between rich and poor! No one will have to struggle desperately to survive, and there will be no more hunger, oppression, or poverty!"
"The Empire will provide for all her citizens. Her citizens will obey her administration and produce the necessary resources. No more poverty, no more toil, happiness for everyone-we can make it happen!"
"..."
Everyone stared blankly at him, even the three generals.
"We support the Marshal!"
"Long live the Marshal! Long live the Empire!"
After a moment of silence, deafening cheers instantly engulfed the entire conference hall.
This would be a tremendous leap forward for human civilization.
Xi Yan might have been a little extreme and a little dictatorial, but he really did consider the interests of the entire Empire and all its citizens!
Of course, after Xi Yan announced this decision that would reshape the entire Empire, the Secretariat's faces turned black as soot, in stark contrast to the celebration around them.
The workload this would bring them was simply unimaginable!
They would practically have to rewrite the entire social system, and the number of matters arising every day would be terrifying!
"But with our country's productive capacity, can we afford to allocate resources to the entire population free of charge?" Secretary of State Ailiveer asked worriedly.
That's right!
The secretary-general's question brought the young imperial officials back to their senses.
The idea was excellent.
But then, Gul'dan, what was the price?
"Good question. If you enjoy the rights of public ownership, naturally you have to fulfill its obligations, don't you?" Xi Yan gave a wicked smile.
"Everyone will have to work at their assigned posts without pay and produce resources for me!"
"How could I possibly let the Empire hand out resources for nothing? You all have to work your asses off!"
"Listen up, you unruly subjects! You'll work twelve hours a day, with only two days off on weekends and only three days of leave at the end of each month!"
"Well? Is that work schedule tough enough for you?"
He had expected everyone present to be horrified. Yet, to Xi Yan's surprise, another round of cheers erupted after they heard his arrangements!
Including the secretarial staff, everyone except Ailiveer and the three generals shouted and jumped with excitement, thanking their ruthless, decisive Marshal for his mercy.
Whoa~ What was going on?
"Because people's sleep has already been cut down to two or three hours. Ordinary people work nearly twenty hours a day, and they only get time off once a month."
Beta explained, "To ordinary people, the Marshal's plan is practically salvation."
"Wait, seriously, dude?" Xi Yan was startled.
Were ordinary people's lives really that miserable?
Despite his frenzied population purges over the past two days, he had respected honest workers from beginning to end.
Without the masses of workers producing resources, how could the Empire grow strong?
But he had never imagined that the Empire's people were oppressed to this extent!
Moreover, the Empire's powerful military and the capitalists' iron grip ensured that no one dared raise the banner of resistance.
Now public ownership was an absolute necessity!
At that moment, Ailiveer spoke up again.
The Little Secretary of State frowned as she ran calculations on her Wristband, then offered her assessment. "Marshal, according to the most preliminary calculations, if we implement your plan, our country's overall resource production could at least double."
"Good! That's fantastic news!" Xi Yan was delighted.
"But given our current reserves, we are nowhere near having enough energy and food resources to last until the public ownership reforms are fully implemented," Ailiveer said. "And how do we ensure our working population stays motivated?"
Xi Yan was completely unconcerned by these two thorny questions.
He smiled confidently, because he had already thought of solutions.
These problems had appeared in certain pioneering countries two centuries earlier, and, as luck would have it, Xi Yan had once given them serious thought.
"That's easy."
Xi Yan's smile turned twisted again.
"Not enough resources? What kind of bullshit is that? Guess whose hands all those resources our Empire produces every day end up in?"
"Who controls most of society's resources? And who has always stood above the people at the bottom?"
"Who controls those companies, and who keeps exploiting the Empire's common people?"
Xi Yan's smile grew increasingly sinister.
"But don't worry. I'll solve the problem very soon. I promise you, within the next few days."
"General Prigozhin."
"Present."
"Remember to remind me later. It's time we carried out an organized cleanup within the Empire."
"To... purge these useless parasites from the Empire."
Xi Yan's gaze burned, and his overwhelming killing intent left everyone present struggling to breathe.
"As for the second question, yes, that is indeed a current drawback of public ownership."
Xi Yan slowly exhaled, reined in his killing intent, and said, "My idea is to allocate the lowest-grade food and consumer goods for free, guaranteeing only basic survival. But during compulsory labor, we'll give people Mora based on their output... bah, credits. No, that's not right either. Let's just call them Labor Points... They can use Labor Points to buy more luxurious food and consumer goods."
"The new currency will no longer be backed by gold or oil. It will be tied solely to the Empire's credit."
The free food and consumer goods provided by the Empire would be of the lowest grade. To improve their quality of life, citizens would need to work harder. Labor Points would be allocated according to each person's actual output, and they could use those points to purchase higher-grade food and consumer goods to improve their lives.
It had to be said that this really was effective.
Xi Yan gave himself a mental thumbs-up for his own ingenuity.
"Uh, it's feasible in theory." Even Ailiveer had to nod in agreement.
With their current level of technology, fair allocation should be possible.
"However, we'll still need to leave the finer details to our sociologists to study."
"That's true."
"No, there's no need."
Beta's voice rang out.
"I hereby declare that, following complex calculations and simulations, the Marshal's proposal is entirely feasible. The Empire can make this grand vision a reality."
At those words, thunderous applause filled the conference hall once again.
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